cost to replace radiator?

hello all.
I have a 02 elantra gls ....no warranty..........
I have a small crack on the top plastic part of the radiator.will the entire radiator have to be replaced? i think it will.
what can i expect to pay for parts and labor for this job?
thanks.........bigp

Re: cost to replace radiator?

Are you leaking radiator fluid? Are you overheating?

Just wondering. Yes, you'll need to replace the whole radiator. If you are mechanically inclined, you can do this yourself in about an hour. As far as rates and such, most places charge $70 to $80 an hour for labor, plus parts.

Re: cost to replace radiator?

I dunno about how well the hyundai radiator would hold up and how big of a crack it is, but I had two 1 inch-long cracks on the plastic top of my old 89 Civic radiator which I repaired and had it last 5 years until I sold the car.
I drained the fluid a bit, widened the crack a bit with an Xacto knife, taped off about a 1/2" section surrounding the crack, sanded the section, degreased and cleaned it. Then I used steel epoxy (I forget which kind but not the JB weld stuff cuz glycol eats through it) to fill the widened crack and coat the sanded section. I laid a piece of fiberglass cloth that was about a 1/4" surrounding the crack in size over the crack into the still wet steel epoxy and added a bit more epoxy to saturate the cloth. I let that dry, sanded it smooth, cleaned and degreased and then put another layer of steel epoxy to cover the whole 1/2" surrounding area, laying as smooth a top layer as humanly possible.

Last edited by mtlelantra; 11-13-2007 at 05:56 PM.

2004 Hyundai Elantra VE 2.slow
One of the few 138 HP ULEV XD2s in California.

Re: cost to replace radiator?

yes, it is leaking coolant.
the crack is about 1/4" going top to bottom.(pretty small)
i can see it seeping out when the coolant is warm.
it's on the front middle section of the plactic, near the cap.
i was also thinking aboutsome kind of bonding material.
it seem like a pain in the butt to do it myself.
should i get an oem radiator?

Re: cost to replace radiator?

Originally Posted by zx2uner

I would make sure to clean it up...then scratch the surface a little with sandpaper, and JB Weld it. Worth a try then buying a new one.

You didn't read my 1st post. Don't use JB weld cuz antifreeze eats it. There's another brand of steel epoxy... I just forget the name... if I remember it, I'll post it up.
You also have to reinforce it with something like fiberglass.

2004 Hyundai Elantra VE 2.slow
One of the few 138 HP ULEV XD2s in California.

Re: cost to replace radiator?

Originally Posted by mtlelantra

You didn't read my 1st post. Don't use JB weld cuz antifreeze eats it. There's another brand of steel epoxy... I just forget the name... if I remember it, I'll post it up.
You also have to reinforce it with something like fiberglass.

I read it... I don't know how fast it eats it....my ZX2 still doesn't leak after 2 years. Anyway, I know Quiksteel works for it too.